Chino Hills State Park

If you want to go for a nice hike or run, with great views and plenty of hills, then this is the pace to go. Nestled in a nice neighborhood, this trail is a hidden gem. Parking is available on the street (one side of the street) for non-​residents and the trail is easily accessible. Great for trail running and hiking — be prepared if you don’t like walking up hills!
Couple of pointers… respect the neighborhood, since the trail is accessed via walkway near homes and also DO NOT bring your pet. No dogs are allowed on the trails.
This place is great — I plan on going there every week to practice for my trail races!

Such a nice area to go to when you need to get away, and one of California’s largest state parks.
Tons of wild life including Hawks, coyotes, tarantulas, scorpions, even the occasional mountain lion, Bob cat, or deer!
Depending which way you come in and which season you go you can hike, mountain bike, horse ride, and see what the area used to look like before it was cultivated. Lots of oak trees, wild gourds, California poppies.
In the winter and spring you will generally get a much more lush, green hill side, kind of like the shrine! In the summer and fall it’s much warmer, but still beautiful mornings and evenings and great to get into the hill tops with cooler winds.
From the hill tops you can see panoramic views of Mt. Baldy and the IE to San Gorgonio, and the OC from Newport Beach to long Beach, even Catalina.

Our first time at this location, following my husband’s recommendation. The route he took turned out to be more than 6 miles as we had talked about. It was 10 miles… Our 11-​year old son and I were in agony during the last 1−½ mile walk. The hike was on the easy side although long. We’d like to take shorter hikes next time. It was worth the experience.

The San Juan Trail is one of my favorite trails when I’m looking for a good workout. The incline is immediate and it gradually gets steeper as you go for about ½ mile (?). The best part for me is the view when you get over the hill, I mean it’s fantastic! Most of the time I ruin my hike progress because I stop to take pictures. There are rolling hills one side and a great view of the city on the other. This time of year (spring) the grass is super lush and the flowers are starting to bloom around the hills, it’s nice. You get the most amazing light through the hills sometimes, it comes down like beams from the sky.
To get to the trailhead coming from fullerton/​brea/​Placentia I take Bastanchury to Fairmont and then left on Rimcrest. Continue up Rimcrest until it dead ends at Blue Gum and park on the right.
Trailhead sign says: Turn right to head towards San Juan Hill (2.8 miles) and the park HQ (5.5 miles). Turn left to head towards lower Telegraph Canyon (1.3 miles). Also, a small, hikers-​only trail is straight ahead. Three-​tenths of a mile would take you to Telegraph Canyon.
Trail map link:

New to the area and went out mtb for the first time here. The rangers were very helpful at pointing me in the right direction. Didn’t have a not of time to spend but did a nice 7 mile loop and had some good climbs. Definitely will go back and check the rest of the park!

Another riding destination for the mountain bike on some weekends. There are three main parts the south rim, the north rim, and the canyon bottom. If you ride/​hike out of the ranger station, the south rim comes up first. It is a long, uphill slog along a dirt fire road. Most of it is in good shape, but there are some rutted and loose sections. Nothing dangerous, but a few places where you should pay attention. It can get crowded with groups of riders, so practice common curtsy and remember that hikers have the right of way.
There are a couple of fast single track and double track that run down to the canyon, and more riding if you keep going past the 4 Corners. My buddies have done the North rim too, but never when I am there. We tend to bomb back down the canyon, which is a long low pitched descent. You can get ripping here. Be warned, there are a lot of people who hike and bike the canyon floor, as it is easier and shaded. Keep your head up, keep the speed to where you can stop when you need to, and watch the blind corners.
There are lots of big groups of runners, hikers and bikers, including a lot of kids. Don’t be ‘that guy.’

One of my favorite nearby places to hike. Bring plenty of food and lots of water. There are maps at the discovery center (Carbon Canyon Road) Some trails aren’t clearly marked. I usually go on weekdays and it’s pretty deserted, haven’t been on the weekends yet but prob isn’t too bad (unlike Peter’s Canyon!) Always see wildlife here. Saw a bobcat and a coyote both in the same day! Also saw a dead scorpion (yikes) and there’s always hawks out cruising for squirrels

This place is in a beautiful, upscale residential Yorba Linda neighborhood. You street park at the base of the trails — be careful only to park on Rimcrest, because the perpendicular street is permit parking only. These dirt trails are STEEP. I have no idea how people bike these, it’s a little rocky/​bumpy and they are at a serious incline. These bikers are hardcore and have my admiration, haha!
When you begin, the trail forks in three directions. I heard from a biker that the middle one is a little more treacherous — the outside two are pretty straightforward and spacious. There are no lights, benches, clearings, etc. It’s dirt roads on hills. The scenery, however, is breathtaking — you can look down on all the gorgeous homes of Yorba Linda and beyond and it’s a great, quiet workout. Not too crowded (even on a sunny Saturday), and in a convenient location (not out in BFE).
My husband and I took the kiddos (ages 5 & 7) and they loved it! The nature — various insects, lizards, etc. was stimulating and it’s great exercise — go at your own pace, as far as you like! Not a place to picnic, but excellent hiking. :)

It’s a nice easy hike, due to being 29 weeks pregnant I’m supposed to «take it easy» on the hikes. It’s a nice walk in the park kind of hike. If you plan on bringing your dog, be prepared to find ticks on your dog.

we hiked to san juan hill peak for a total round trip of 6.1 miles. The weather was alittle hot so i really recommend bringing at least 2 liters of water per person or maybe a bit more for this hike. Its a great overall hike really with great features and a elevation climb of 1000ft. The mountain bikers are also out in full force so watch out for them. They will scream at you that they are coming and when more are behind them. Also we did see two rattlesnakes on the trail. We didn’t bother them at all. Would i do this hike again? Oh yes.

Parking is allowed after 8AM

The Rimcrest Trailhead entrance and the nearby Equestrian Parking Area entrance are the only free entrances to the Chino Hills State Park. The main entrance, through Bane Canyon Rd. off Sapphire Rd. is currently closed for constructions and will be for a while, so it’s a bit ironic that there is no way to enter to this park currently from Chino Hills. The Carbon Canyon/​Discovery Center entrance in Brea is another option, but it requires a parking fee at either the Discovery Center lot or at Carbon Canyon Regional Park. Being free and the fact that it’s so close to the residential areas might be why entering from Yorba Linda at the Rimcrest Trailhead is what everyone does.
Entering here will take you to South Ridge Trail, which connects with the Telegraph Canyon Trail down below and even the North Ridge Trail through several trails along the way. If you go all the way east on South Ridge, you will reach San Juan Hill, which is the highest point of the park at 1781 feet. From there you can take the Bovinian Delight Trail down to the central spot called the Four Corners and pretty much have access to just about every section of the park. Just make sure you take a map printed from their website or on the brochure. There are also mileage markers throughout the park that starts at 0 from Four Corners.
There are a lot of bikers out here, maybe more so than any other place around here. Some nice scenic points along South Ridge on Glider Point and San Juan Hill. However, keep in mind that these areas do not have much shade if any at all due to the lack of trees. Telegraph Canyon has some tree coverage, but that’s about it. So if you’re planning to make your way out here, try to come on a cloudy day.